New life in Christ

New life in Christ is more than just obeying these commandments, as important as they are. New life in Christ comes as we accept the gift of God's justifying grace through Jesus Christ. February is a time for all United Methodists to affirm that gift and to offer it to everyone.

Long-term relationships go through cycles: ups and downs, hills and valleys, good times and bad. That's true in our spiritual life, too. For many of us, our spiritual life begins with a very powerfully personal relationship with Christ. We can feel like we are on top of a mountain and have laid claim to the most important thing in all the world. And that strong and powerful feeling can stay with us and propel us for months and even years.

But I don't think I have ever found anyone who has said that they have been able to maintain that state of spiritual ecstasy throughout the entire course of their life. Sooner or later, we find ourselves in a spiritual valley.

I talked to a woman the other day who explained her situation exactly like that. 'Yes, it's true,' she said, 'I've been away from church for a long time. But you know, it goes deeper than that. I've not really had much of a spiritual life for a good number of years now. I don't know why. I used to be on fire for the Lord. I couldn't get enough of church. I read the Bible all of the time and prayed all the time too. I found ways to serve Christ every single day. But I guess the 'newness' of it all wore off and I just lost interest.'

But then she said, 'I feel something stirring in me again. Could it be the Holy Spirit? And I feel like I want to come back and start walking on my spiritual journey again.'

She really put into words what all of us experience if we enter into a relationship with the Lord. It doesn't stay on the mountaintop forever. There are valleys and great stretches of desert. We could very well 'drop out' and even move in a different direction.

But those down cycles don't last forever and more often than not there come brand-new stirrings in the heart. What would it mean for you to 'fall in love all over again' with the One whom Revelation 2:4 calls our 'first love'? This is a great time to come back home to the Lord, your first love, and renew at an even deeper and more seasoned level the most important relationship any of us will ever have in life.

-Norman Neaves, 'The Church of the Servant,'

Oklahoma City, in Thrust, August 12, 1998

From the Upper Room - Jan. 25, 2011

Our Way, or God's?

Matthew 11:28-30  (NRSV)

Jesus said, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

I was resting on the couch in the living room when I noticed my four-year-old son in the hallway. He was crying as he struggled to open a container with a tight lid. I asked him to bring the container to me so I could help him, but he resolutely tried to open it himself. He continued to cry, and his frustration grew. When exhaustion overcame him, he finally decided to allow me to help. He then saw how easy it was for me. He could have avoided the frustration had he come to me earlier.

This incident became a spiritual lesson for me about how to handle difficult situations. Too often, rather than seeking God's help, we try our own methods to solve our problems — and we often end up frustrated or in tears. But God's promise is before us: "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." God has the solution to our problems: We can believe in and trust in God's word — and ask for God's help.

Yaneth Orozco Z. (Valle del Cauca, Colombia)

Dear loving God, help us understand that with you all things are possible. We know that we can place our problems in your care and that in you we can find rest. Amen.

Go to God first.

Where God is leading you?

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…. Ecclesiastes 3:1

As we start 2011, we look forward to where God is leading us. This year we are implementing new programs and encourage all to join in on these growth opportunities. One of these is a monthly insert from the pamphlet A Year with John Wesley and Our Methodist Values,  prepared by the Board of Discipleship in response to The United Methodist Council of Bishops call that the Church engage in intensive study of and reflection on our Wesleyan theology, polity, and practice. Throughout the year we will be publishing a monthly installment that will consist of a Wesleyan Scholar teaching point on a Wesleyan theme followed by a corresponding practice reflection by Bishop Michael Coyner. Process these thought provoking articles with your spouse, your Circle, Sunday school class and others as you make these concepts authentic to your faith practice.

Another new program emphasis in 2011 is geared toward intentional faithful development thru bible study and small groups. Small groups have been an area of growth for many persons in our church in the past, and I sense a growing hunger in others to discover a more fulfilling spiritual life. On January 22 & 23 weekend services special guest preachers will share an exciting word about a dynamic spiritual growth opportunity, Discovery Sunday. Don’t miss this wonderful life changing opportunity to connect deeper with God and others.

As we look to 2011 as a new positive beginning, let us remember the encouraging words of St. Paul “….but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,” Philippians 3:13

Grace & Peace,
Pastor Lane